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On September 1, popular Star Trek fansite TrekMovie.com published an editorial titled “Star Trek is broken—Here are ideas on how to fix it.” The article focuses on this year’s Star Trek Into Darkness, which was a moderate box office success but failed to impress most old-school fans. In fact, while the 2009 reboot is still very popular, Into Darkness was recently voted the fandom’s least favorite movie at a Star Trek convention, with Wrath of Khan topping the poll.

Screenwriter Bob Orci first responded with this comment: “I think the article above is akin to a child acting out against his parents. Makes it tough for some to listen, but since I am a loving parent, I read these comments without anger or resentment, no matter how misguided.

Having said that, two biggest Star Treks in a row with best reviews is hardly a description of “broken.” And frankly, your tone and attidude make it hard for me to listen to what might otherwise be decent notions to pursue in the future. As I love to say, there is a reason why I get to write the movies, and you don’t.” (Well, at least he's not condescending as all hell, right?)

When his 'children' were insufficiently humbled, things took a turn for the worse.

In response to someone who (politely) compared Into Darkness with Raiders of the Lost Arc, Orci wrote: “STID has infinetly more social commentary than Raiders in every Universe, and I say that with Harrison Ford being a friend. You lose credibility big time when you don’t honestly engage with the FUCKING WRITER OF THE MOVIE ASKING YOU AN HONEST QUESTION. You prove the cliche of shitty fans. And rude in the process. So, as Simon Pegg would say: FUCK OFF!” (Social commentary, looooool.)

After going through more comments and calling out more fans who dared criticize the movie, Bob seemed to take a step back for some self-reflection. "don’ take me too seriously. if you’ve been on this board for the lar 5 years (as I have beeb) you know that twice a year I explode at the morons. today, there seemed to be a congregation, so it seemed like a good time.

you are the most listened to fans ever. That doesn’t mean you will get is to do what you want. just means what I said: I listened. Then we decided, having heard as many opinions as possible. To paraphrase of one of my great and beloved heroes, George W. Bush, “we’re the deciders…. (Aaaaaand there it is. Also, reading criticism after the movie is out doesn't mean you listened to fans and decided from there. Instead you kept the details of your movie a secret to avoid hearing fan criticism before it came out. Ass.)

Well, on one side we have overly-entitled fans, like the 50 Shades petition to get actors fired from the movie and have unwilling actors forced in instead. On the other side we have media creators who insist that their fans are 'children' who, if overly critical, turn into 'morons'. Which side are you on? Are fans entitled to being heard? Is criticism shitty and ungrateful? Or are you Team Please Restore The Fourth Wall and Everyone Just Shut Up? I will say that media creators lose in my book the minute they lash out publicly at negative feedback, especially feedback by fans.

i tried to watch this film last night and couldn't make it past the utterance of "72". ugh. secondly, so many things were explained when i learned that orci was a 9/11 truther. (it also explains why 9/11 victims were randomly listed in the credits)

I think the worst thing about this situation is that they didn't even create the material that has such a huge fanbase. They're just doing shitty fanfic AUs of the material. It's not JJ's fandom, not most of it. Makes it even worse when the people involved talk down to them.

I mean, true...BUUUUT playing devil's advocate (cuz this guy's a legit douche)...there's still something to be said about someone who's jumped through all the hoops ('lucky' connections are often made by putting in the extra credit work to get out there in front of relevant people or like-minded peers on the same upward track...it's not something to just brush off as a given) and made it to the top of the heap. I can see why that sense of entitlement emerges when dealing with people criticizing your work who have probably never put their neck out on the line or engaged in the business/community.

It's very easy to criticize when you have no (or just cursory) real world experience in the matter...and the internet is full of self-righteous, arm-chair experts.

But he should probably know better than to deal that bluntly with the fans.

I only want to say that I don't think fans are entitled to being heard. When I'm writing a story, I'm writing the story I want. You can say it's awful. You can refuse to read it. But you can't force me to write what you want.

Well, yeah, but then most criticism of media happens after the fact. Nobody's going to dictate what you write when you're writing it, because how would they even know? But after it's out there if a huge portion of fans point out an aspect of it that was problematic, it would be good of a writer to listen to them and wonder if they're right.

It's not to say that all criticism is valid, but when it is it ought to be learned from.

Maybe if you're writing original work, story or screenplay. When you're writing a movie for an established franchise highly ripping off an already made film in the same franchise and have that attitude, then you should get yourself another project because you're just being an entitled ass.

I'm definitely 'team fourth wall' on all these matters. Like, it's nice that you LOVE the work, but when you then move into a sense of entitlement about it, I believe it crosses a line on the consumer's end.

You don't want to piss off your meal ticket by telling them to fuck off to philistine alley, but there's a line that gets crossed when something becomes 'beloved' that I think is unhealthy and can suck a creative person dry.

At the base, it's a control issue between two parties - one active, one passive - and often times there isn't enough courtesy on the passive side. *not a very friendly stance on the matter, I suppose*

12 years a slave press conference and Steve was not having some of the more idiotic questions. Basically a girl asked why Brad Pitt didn't consider playing one of the more heroic characters and Steve was like "He didn't have a lot of say in that bc it's my movie."

I tried to follow the STID tweet-along when it was hapening even though I wasn't watching the movie again. Here are some of the things that Orci tweeted...

Why would you remake a "perfect" movie that "can never measure up" and then get mad at people who think your remake didn't measure up?

If, when trying to explain your movie to people who didn't understand something about it, the best you can say is "got us there!" then you have to consider that your movie makes no sense, or possibly makes sense to you, but isn't clear to the rest of us.

As a small child I learned that it's okay to disagree with someone, but never okay to talk to people, even those you disagree with, like that.

Again, not okay to talk to people like that. Also, as a writer, if you honestly believe your story makes sense yet SO MANY people don't understand it, at what point do you have to consider that it isn't clear. Many intelligent people don't understand things about the movie. Did they all have mass simultaneous strokes affecting only the part of the brain in charge of Star Trek Critical Thinking Skills? Or perhaps is your story flawed, or the way you told it problematic?

"Stay away from my Trek please" Are you effing kidding me??? There are so many things in this statement I take offense to that I don't even know where to start.

Someone wants to discuss things with you in a calm way where they might just have valid points to make? Can't have that! Ba-Bye!

And my personal favorite was when Robert Meyer Burnett (filmmaker, Trek expert, noted hater of the rebootverse) tried to have an honest discussion with Orci.

Can't handle a polite discussion of differing ideas? Definitely throw out something nonsensical and ridiculous to change the topic

Valid question I had been asking myself before this tweet-along even happened

Again, so many things happening in this tweet I don't even know where to start...

YMMV but I have lost all respect for Orci. Not because of anything Trek related, because of how he treats people. It makes me sad.

People who say this in response to anyone who rightfully complains about lack of diversity aren't worth shit. I'm not even going to bother reading the rest because I can already feel my stomach churning. He is repugnant.

Right? Did you audition every actor available for the shooting schedule? Hell no. Did you even screen test every actor with an agent and in the age range? Hell no. Did you even audition non-white actors? Doubtable.

But I'm sure with your very limited criteria for casting, you certainly cast the best actor for that part!